Ser Valen's Day: A Dragon Age Holiday
by momonigiri
Summary: A little one shot featuring Hawke and company as they celebrate the most romantic holiday of the year. (AU)


**This little one-shot was for a Secret Cupid Event in a group called Thedas United for CouslandSpitFire. Sorry I'm a bit late, had some family and friends staying over for the past week which has made it difficult to get some writing in. But, I hope you enjoy it, and I hope everyone else does too! **

* * *

**Fenris**

* * *

Dark green eyes shot open, studying the blank ceiling that stared back at him. A catlike yawn was accompanied by a long stretch as Fenris blinked away the sleepy grogginess that still fogged his brain. It was a day that began like the one before it had, and the one before that.

A day without Hawke by his side.

He grit his teeth in an involuntary grimace as he forced his legs to plant themselves on the rotten wooden floors of his borrowed mansion. In the far reaches of his mind, the elf knew he should at least try to fix things in the decrepit place, to make it a more suitable resting spot for him to trek back to when the long Kirkwall nights would envelope him at the end of his long days spent with the group. But, it didn't matter any longer if he really thought about it- - - being a ghostlike presence in the city was something he was exceptionally good at, and he intended on keeping everything exactly as they were at that moment.

Everything except for her. Flashes of dark brown eyes and full lips flickered across his memory before he could suppress them.

The melodic tone of Hawke's voice echoed hauntingly in his mind. _I love you..._

Fenris sank his teeth into an apple he had saved for his morning meal before he shook his head to rid himself of the memory. But his thoughts continued to wander as the morning pressed on. _I...I truly loved her then...and I messed it up by running away like the coward that I am. How could I have been so foolish- - -_

He slammed his fist down on a wooden bench he used as a makeshift table. "No more," he growled in the empty mansion, "Today is the day I make things right."

But as much as he hated to admit it, Fenris was going to need help if he was going to have any hope in winning Hawke over again. Grabbing his greatsword (because you never know what you'll run into in the grimy streets of Kirkwall), Fenris made his way over to visit his favorite dwarven friend, Varric.

* * *

Something odd, however, greeted him as the lanky elf wove his way through the stone paths and alleyways that interlocked together to form the city he had grown to know so well these past years: people.

_Have the human women here always dressed in red gowns?_ Fenris thought to himself as he eyed the hordes of people mingling with one another in Hightown. While staring at a group of three ladies with matching red hats that were large enough to provide an adult dragon with shade from a hot day, the elf nearly ran into a man walking in his direction. _This is no mere coincidence...even the men are dressed in finer attire than normal. How unusual..._

Finally, Fenris entered the infamous drinking hole known as the Hanged Man only to find the dwarf in question speaking with someone else.

Varric raised two fingers to his forehead in a kind of salute when he noticed the elf standing in the doorway to his suit."Yes, my fine, fine lady," he said with a chortle as he kissed the hand of a particularly voluptuous women with cleavage to spare. "I will see you when the stars of Kirkwall sparkle as brightly as your crystal blue eyes."

"Varric, you're such a tease," the woman replied with a flirtatious giggle.

"Let's just keep this between us, shall we," the dwarf said merrily as he patted the back of her hand. "Even if it is strictly a business proposition, I wouldn't want Bianca to get the wrong idea about us."

"But of course," the woman cooed as she nodded in Fenris' direction before getting up to exit the room. "I'll see you around, Varric, and Happy Valen's Day."

Fenris knotted his face in confusion at the woman's strange parting words, but stepped aside nimbly as she waved a final goodbye before leaving dwarf and elf alone at last.

Varric leaned back in his usual oversized chair, his eyes gleaming with delight. "Fenris!" He began as the elf took a seat opposite of him. "What brings you to my humble abode?"

Fenris' mind was still struggling to make sense of the scene he just witnessed. "Valen's...Day?"

Varric chuckled at his bewildered friend. "Don't tell me you don't know what Ser Valen's Day is," he retorted as he poured himself what looked like an ale. He poured another in a large goblet and slid it down the table for Fenris to catch. "Love! Romance!" Varric's voice bellowed in the spacious room. "An excuse for the women in the world to expect a day of passion and niceties without feeling guilty about it."

Fenris only looked slightly less confused. "It is a...festive time?"

"Indeed it is, my broody friend," Varric replied nonchalantly as he studied the elf fidgeting in front of him.

But, Fenris paid no mind to the dwarf who was now opening a large, leather-bound book to scribble illegibly in. _This day...Ser Valen's Day...this could be my chance to prove to Hawke that I have changed._

Varric slurped the last of his ale before wiping his arm across his face which jolted Fenris out of his musings. "You ah...seem to be proficient in courting the ladies," the elf said slowly as a plan began forming in his mind.

Varric propped up his feet on a nearby bench. "Flattery is good, go on."

Fenris averted his eyes, and his voice sounded choked in his throat. "I need your assistance."

Varric grinned from ear to ear. "Broody, I thought you'd never ask."

* * *

A little less than an hour had passed before Fenris was again out in the streets, his mind reeling from new information_. Ser Valen's Day does seem a bit...excessive, but if this is what it takes to get her back, I'll do it._

Fenris sighed as his feet carried him over to Darktown. He stopped before a set of worn stairs. He hesitated._ No, I can do this on my own_, he thought as he felt the muscles in his face tense into a familiar scowl. He mumbled grumpily, but proceeded to walk down the stairs only to halt once again before reaching a warehouse. He paced in front of the entryway. _No, I don't need his help...sure he is an expert on romantic gestures and flirtatious interactions, but I do not- - -_

"I can see you there, you know," a man's voice called to him from deep inside the warehouse.

Fenris' eyes widened, and he hastily shuffled his way into Anders' underground clinic before he realized what he was doing. Once inside, the elf shut the door behind him, shifting his feet from side to side as was his habit whenever he was anxious. He snarled as the mage approached him with a mixture of amusement and caution etched onto his face.

Anders crossed his arms as stared at the elf in his clinic. "Just spit it out, Fenris," he baited after witnessing his visitor sigh repeatedly without uttering a single word.

Fenris coughed into a fisted hand as he backed away like a scared Mabari pup. "I should not have come here. To think I stooped so low is unimaginable..."

"Wait," Anders called, reaching his hand out in the elf's direction to get him to stop. The mage was a bit surprised when Fenris actually listened. "I think I'm going to regret this, but really, what is it you need?"

Fenris spun on his heels, but Anders could see he was clearly struggling. He finally managed to utter the words, "You...erm...Hawke."

Eyes the color of warm honey glimmered mischievously. "Maybe you need your eyes examined, Elf, because as you can see," Anders said, gesturing to his body while on the verge of laughing, "I am nowhere close to being Hawke...No boobs, last time I checked, although I do have a pair of legs that go on for _miles_- - -"

"I'm leaving."

Anders blocked the exit, and amidst the grumbling and profane insults, he got Fenris to tell him the purpose for his visit. This was turning out to be the most unusual Ser Valen's Day Fenris had ever spent (to be fair, this was the first and _only_ time he had tried to celebrate the occasion).

* * *

**Hawke**

* * *

Hawke woke up with a headache that morning. _Just perfect_, she thought with a groan as she went about her usual routine of a cold shower followed by a set of light stretches. But her daily ritual was thrown off-course when she entered the vast sitting area in one of the main rooms of the estate only to find her younger sister cradling a bouquet of flowers in her arms. Hawke watched as Bethany smelled them with closed eyes.

She squeaked when she realized her older sibling was standing in the room with a hand placed firmly on her hip.

Hawke had to strain to hear the whisper that bubbled forth from Bethany's lips. "They're from Cullen."

"The _Templar_?!" Hawke gasped as she ogled at her sister. "Sodded blight, Bethy, who are you and what have you done with my sister?"

"They're lovely flowers, really, and it _is_ Ser Valen's Day, after all," came the soft reply as Bethany dare not look into her older sibling's glare that seemed to bore into her soul.

"That's beside the point," Hawke replied as she blew a puff of air to push her bangs away from her face. "And anyways, I thought you were scared of him. What happened to just 'smiling and nodding'?"

"I did," Bethany said as a phantom of a smile threatened to materialize on her innocent, round face. She giggled like a girl half her age before finally responding, "I smiled, and he smiled back."

Hawke opened her mouth, fully intent on chastising her sister for poor life choices, when a knock came at the door. Looking down when she opened the massive entrance to her estate, Hawke was slightly surprised to see a small, filthy boy she knew lived in Darktown. She hurriedly fetched a coin from her hip-purse and dropped it into waiting hands. In return, the boy bowed and produced a small piece of yellowed parchment which he then handed to her. In a flash, the young messenger boy took off down the street and into a back alley with Hawke wondering who would possibly need her services on a day like Ser Valen's Day.

_Hmm_, Hawke pondered as she unfolded the paper carefully in her hands, _Wasn't that boy Anders' messenger kid he hires from time to time? Why would he be coming here?_

The message contained only one line:

_Meet at the Hanged Man._

Flipping the note over, Hawke realized that it was not signed. Sighing, she grabbed her weapons, strapped on her gear, and waded through the sea of red silks and velvety dresses worn by the women and girls on this fine occasion. How she hated Ser Valen's Day.

* * *

Hawke's mood continued to sour as she entered into the Hanged Man. The nauseating smell of stale ale and vomit still saturated the air, but now Hawke could see that several couples were spending their special holiday on food, drinks, and merriment here as well. Hawke threw herself down in the chair farthest from the door and glowered. _Ser Valen's Day... buying obnoxious and elaborate gifts for your significant other to commemorate a man beheaded for aiding slaves and mages alike in finding freedom and a good life. Completely appropriate._

"Great merciful Maker, it's beautiful!" Hawke heard a blonde-haired woman exclaim joyously at a gift she had just received.

She scoffed loudly as the scene unfolded before her eyes. "Yeah, we won't be able to eat for a year, but here, Darling smoochy-poo," she grumbled sarcastically in a fake, whiny voice. "Here's a ring that will make people want to chop your hand off when we go out at night."

Unbeknownst to Hawke, Fenris had been watching her since she entered the pub. She seemed agitated to him, but he was unsure why she looked so unhappy to be there. Regardless, Fenris knew he had a plan, and that plan was about to begin. Soundlessly, Fenris walked over to her table, hoping with every fiber of his being that things would go well. He leaned in close to her ear, smelling the faint scents of lavender and honey that was familiar to him. "Hawke..."

She jumped in response, her hand clutching a small dagger she had hidden underneath her sleeve. Turning her face, her breath felt stuck in her lungs as she gazed upon a dark smirk that had the ability to turn her knees into jelly.

Fenris whispered again in her ears, his voice hot and heavy on her skin. "Would you like to leave this place? I have a mission I need help with at the Wounded Coast."

"Thank the Maker, lead on."

* * *

The pair wove their way through the throngs of people congesting the Hanged Man only to have the same kind of festive people blocking their way to the Wounded Coast. As for Fenris, Hawke was amiss as to why he was being even quieter than his normal brooding self, but chose not to comment on the matter. She did, however, notice that he seemed to be looking over his shoulder at her only to look away again as soon as their eyes met. His nervousness only increased as they ventured closer and closer to the sandy shores, but Hawke assumed his strangeness stemmed from the various couples they had encountered along the way.

Finally, they reached the beginnings of the Wounded Coast with no one else was around. "Ugh, _couples_," Hawke said with a sneer when she was absolutely certain they were alone. "They're the worst, all doe-eyed and filled with love...I think I'd rather be looking for a needle in a thousand pound pile of nug shit."

Fenris spurred on in front of Hawke while blocking her view of the beach ahead. "That seems rather specific," he said over his shoulder.

Suddenly, Fenris turned around and closed the gap between them as a small smile turned his lips upward at the corners. Hawke took a moment to take in the unusual sight before smiling in return. "It's just ridiculous the lengths that people will go to just because of some blighted holiday, don't you think?"

Fenris' smile faded as he turned away from her once more.

"So," Hawke said with a clap of her hands, seemingly unaware of her companions change in demeanor. "What was it we came here for?"

Fenris placed his hands on Hawke's shoulder and spun her around in the opposite direction. "N-nothing," he stuttered as he attempted to guide her back to the city limits. "Ahem...it was nothing. I thought something of mine was here, but it is not, so we may as well go back to the Hanged Man- - -"

Something caught Hawke's eye, and she pivoted around Fenris to see a what he was trying to desperately to hide from her. Hawke's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "What is all of this?" She said, mainly to herself, as she quickly walked over to a picnic laid out across a blanket.

She could hear Fenris mumbling and grunting behind her as she stooped down to examine everything. It all looked so pristine: a single, red flower resting atop a card, a chocolate box rapped in a silk ribbon, and a bottle of wine just begging to be opened.

Her voice sounded thin and uncertain when she finally did speak. "Fenris?"

The elf began to ramble, "Varric recommended that a romantic destination would be suitable for this kind of celebration- - -"

Hawke's eyes got larger as they darted from Fenris to the beach setup."Hold on- - -"

"- - - and the abomination said women love chocolate so I ventured around Hightown to procure the necessary ingredients- - -"

"- - -so this is all for," Hawke waved her hands in front of her to make a point that her mouth did not want to admit just yet. "for _Ser Valen's Day_?"

Fenris cleared his throat uncomfortably as a lump formed in his throat. "Ah...yes," he eventually said with some difficulty, "before I fully understood your feelings on the matter, yes, I did this. I thought it would make you...happy."

He read her lips as her voice was drowned out by the crashing waves of the beach. "No one has ever done something so nice for me before..."

Hawke bent down to pick up the note before Fenris could grab it from her. "I erm...had Isabela write something down for me," he muttered as he could feel a rush of embarrassment coloring his tanned skin.

Hawke's eyes glided over the contents of the note, but Fenris thought her reaction was slightly odd. He heard her gasp, saw her put a hand up to her lips to try and hide a smile, and try not to blush while failing immensely. Her eyes were still on the parchment when she commented, "Are you serious, Fenris?"

When he nodded sincerely, he was completely taken aback by Hawke's blush deepening even further. But slowly, the flush faded, and she carefully folded back into its original position, tucking it gingerly into a side pocket. Her eyes still remained fixated on her feet as if she were trying to figure out something.

"Why?" She said, her shoulders slumping slightly. "Why do this all for me?"

Fenris stepped closer to her until their bodies were almost touching."We have... never discussed what happened between us all those years ago."

Big brown eyes looked up, and a voice shook with an intensity of emotion. "It's not like you were bursting at the seams to talk about it, Fenris."

The elf sighed sadly as it pained him to see the woman he loved so vulnerable and hurt. "I understand, I..." his voice faltered, but he forced himself to go on, "I wanted you to hate me, Hawke."

Blinking back her confusion, Hawke said nothing, and Fenris felt compelled to explain himself further. "It would have been better that way, if you had hated me. But, it wasn't." he ran his fingers through his bright hair. "I remember that night as if it happened only yesterday. Your touch, your kiss...it has been imprinted in my mind and branded in my heart ever since our time together."

Fenris heard her inhale deeply, but her eyes did not look away.

He continued, his heart pounding so hard it hurt his chest. "What I did to you was wrong. It was not me. If I could take back the hurt I have caused you during this time, I would. I would take it back only to show you how I truly felt."

Hawke felt her vocal cords beginning to work again, but her eyes started to burn as her vision blurred. She swallowed thickly, not speaking before she knew it was safe to do so. "And how is it you feel about me now?"

Fenris grasped her trembling hands in his. "Facing a future does not seem so frightening anymore knowing that I have you by my side," he said quietly, stroking his thumb lightly on Hawke's hand until he felt her quivering hands stop. "I know I do not deserve your forgiveness, but I am here, now, asking for it."

Hawke bit her lip while her eyes wavered back and forth under his gaze. Then pulling him close, they embraced as their lips met under the fading light of day. It was surprisingly tentative at first, unlike the time before when carnal desires gave way to an experience of raw passion and heat.

Their bodies now leaned into each other, seemingly happy to once again be fitting so nicely together like pieces of a puzzle. The waves lapped the shore, bubbling and gurgling its approval as the two began to rediscover the sensations that only came with a relationship that they alone shared. Long fingers caressed a tanned face, and lips murmured in gratitude. Although they were still soft, Fenris could feel new calluses on the hands he had gotten to know so well, if only for a single evening. The touch of her lips and the smell of her hair was not how Fenris remembered it from years prior.

It was better because this time- - -this time it meant something to the both of them. It was the start of something new, and something lasting that each of them ached for but could not have until that moment.

* * *

By the time Fenris and Hawke made it back to her mansion, the stars were the only lights leading their path back home. As soon as they opened the door, Hawke began peppering Fenris with hungry kisses which he responded with a seductive growl that came from deep within his chest.

He wrapped his arms around Hawke, and began inching his way to the elaborate staircase he knew led to her bedroom. "If I knew apologizing would have ended in such a way, I would have certainly done it sooner."

He was rewarded by a dark laugh as her lips found the sensitive areas of his pointed ears."How about you make good on this poem you gifted me?" she purred as Fenris moaned in reply. "Let's just pray to the Maker we don't wake up Mother."

He brushed his teeth along the long contours of Hawke's neck before using his tongue to retrace his path. "I will make no such promise."

Scooping his love up in his arms, elf and girl picked up right where they had left off as if no time had passed between them at all. The hurt was kissed away. The pain of sleepless nights faded with each moan of pleasure that escaped lips that gasped for air. Salty tears from the past were dried with each murmur of a promise to stay together for eternity. All that was left after that faithful night were contended smiles and hearts filled with gratitude and appreciation.

* * *

_Dear Diary,_

_Today is another day in which history was made. I, Hawke, officially love Ser Valen's Day~ _

_Also, remember to thank Isabela for the"poem" she wrote...those tips are going to last us for a fortnight at least..._

Setting her quill down quietly, Hawke closed her journal and crawled back into bed, back into the arms of the sleeping elf that waited for her return.

Snuggling up to Fenris, Hawke let out a sigh of satisfaction. _Varric's gunna' get a kick outa' this one, that's for sure..._


End file.
